First Floor Walk Up Presents Bi-Weekly Readings of Poetry and Prose

Both Mark and Andrea are very excited to be reading at First Floor Walk Up Presents Bi-Weekly Readings of Poetry and Prose at One and One, 76 E. 1st St. at 1st Ave on Monday, February 26th.

The event starts at 7:00 pm and goes to 8pm – See the line-up below – more info on our fellow writers and poets closer to the event as well as the Facebook event link

First Floor Walk Up Presents Bi-Weekly Readings of

Poetry and Prose at

One and One

76 E. 1st St. @ 1st Ave

F Train to 2nd Ave Station

FREE

Monday, February 26th, 7 PM

WAH MOHN

ANDREA DeANGELIS

Andrea DeAngelis is at times a poet, writer, shutterbug and musician living in New York City. Her writing has recently appeared in Carmina Magazine, Corvus Review, HauntedMTL and Bowery Gothic. Andrea also sings and plays guitar in the indie rock band MAKAR (www.makarmusic.com) who recently released their third album, Fancy Hercules. She tries not to disturb her neighbors by putting her guitar amp in the closet.

MARK PURNELL

Mark Purnell is a writer, investor and musician living in New York City. His writing has recently appeared in The Molotov Cocktail and he is currently working on his debut novel. Mark sings, writes and plays piano in the indie rock band MAKAR (www.makarmusic.com).

ALLAN  GRAUBARD

Allan Graubard -- poet, writer and critic -- (just published!): SUN STEP BLACK LAKE (Broken Sleep Books, Wales, UK). In 2022, he appeared as editor and contributor to the international anthology Nigredo. 2020/2019 saw the publication of three books: Western Terrace (Exstasis Editions, Victoria, BC), Language of Birds (Anon Editions, NY/LA), and Into the Mylar Chamber: Ira Cohen (Fulgur, UK).

Andrea still has to make a decision on what to read…muahahaha. She will make it weird because she’s a weirdo lol (Andrea wrote this btw)

Halloween Reading at Von Bar - Sunday, October 30th (for Bowery Gothic)

Calling all Creepy Literati!
A Hallow’s Eve reading!

Andrea will be reading her short story Mara along with the other Bowery Gothic contributors on Sunday, October 30th at Von Bar located at 3 Bleecker in NYC. The event starts at 6pm.

Andrea's short story Mara published in Bowery Gothic

Andrea’s piece Mara was published in Bowery Gothic on September 1st in their Summer Ghosts Edition VII.

Andrea: This story was inspired by the original nightmare known as Mara and other names in Time Life’s The Enchanted World’s Night Creatures fable. These were books I inherited from my Welsh grandfather. He had such a wonderful odd library, inspiration galore.

Here is a recent article from Atlas Obscura:
https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/original-nightmare-demon-suffocation-night-terror

I enjoy telling stories from the perspective of the monsters and having the monsters win.

The Nightmare, Henry Fuseli, 1781. JOHN HENRY FUSELI

Please check out the entire issue!

Archived Copy

A little about Bowery Gothic

Inspired by a reading series at a haunted bar on the Bowery, Bowery Gothic is a literary journal seeking to publish the highest quality literature and art. We look for stories—both real and imagined—that exist in that liminal space: between the seen and unseen; between entertainment and fear. We are excited by work that stands at the threshold and looks into the unknown. We are excited by the sublimity of terror.

We are not interested in gore, violence, or perversion. Instead, send us literary work that transcends genre, that scares us and makes us think: Damn, that was fresh. We are drawn to literature that conjures up tales told by our favorite writers—from Henry James to Kelly Link; Shirley Jackson to Octavia E. Butler—stories that entice, amaze, terrify.

Andrea's flash fiction, Good Dirt II, was published in Molotov Cocktail

Andrea’s story Good Dirt II was published in Molotov Cocktail’s Flash Feast Contest. She got No. 5 out of 10!

A little taste

“I don’t know what I was before I was born into slow flesh, flawed and corrupting, but I know I will find the answers grubbing in the dirt”

She is very excited that Good Dirt II will be included in a future Molotov Cocktail’s Prize Winners Anthology print issue.

Please sink your teeth into the entire Flash Feast issue!

And congrats to all the winners!

Archive Copy

Andrea's flash fiction, Morforwyn, published in The Wild Hunt on July 28, 2020

Andrea’s flash fiction piece, Morforwyn, was published in The Wild Hunt - Is it safe? Issue # 2 on July 28, 2020.

Look at the fantastic art below. Have to ask the editor who the visual artist is.

The Wild Hunt posted on twitter the following sentiment which sums up Andrea’s reason for writing this story.

Background on this story

Andrea: Mermaids are not usually thought of as dangerous. Nor is it in the universal folklore that humankind did terrible things to them but of course we did. (That’s if they existed).

I was especially inspired by this cryptozoology I came across about Welsh mermaids. (I am a quarter Welsh and would love someday to visit Wales but who knows now. Some mermaids started out as giants, they diminished as everything seems to do when encountering certain elements of humanity.

Andrea’s flash fiction piece, Detached, published in Molotov Cocktail on January 31, 2020

Andrea’s piece Detached was published in Molotov Cocktail on January 31, 2020 in Volume 10, Issue 12. What a way to start the new year!

Cover of Molotov’s Cocktail’s Issue 10.12

Andrea’s writing process on Detached:

I actually wrote this story and submitted it to Molotov’s Flash Monster 2019 contest but did not make it into their Top 10. But I did receive a "Close But No Cigar" shout-out on the site.

I never would have written this story without that contest. I always wanted to write about the penanggalan but Molotov gave me the push.

I discovered the penanggalan through D&D. Its illustration was always one of more grotesque ones. But it also haunted me. And then I found the Fiend Folio at my childhood home.

None of the origin stories I read completely satisfied me. I fixated on the fact that a penanggalan will remain unnaturally beautiful throughout her life.

I’ve always wondered what made a woman choose to become a penanggalan (and if it was a choice). I examined the physical price of beauty and the extremes some go to attain that irreproachable veneer.

Hope you enjoy!

 Check out Molotov Cocktail on their twitter and Facebook profiles as well.

Andrea’s poem – Rape Kits – was published in Timeless Tales Magazine’s Pandora Box Issue 8/15/19

Andrea is honored that her poem Rape Kits was published in the 3rd edition of Pandora’s Box in Timeless Tales Magazine.

What Andrea has to say about this poem --

This poem was inspired by the HBO documentary - I am evidence and the appalling reality of the rape kit backlog remaining untested in the hundreds of thousands. I was horrified by the idea of these boxes in a warehouse where birds were actually making nests of the evidence, of these women’s bodies and pain, evidence that could put the rapists behind bars. And who better to open the boxes than Pandora?

Pandora opening the box is frequently seen as cataclysmic but in this case, she’s a warrior, doing what is necessary for justice. All the emotions from the collective violations released giving the victims hope.

A word about the moths – in some versions of the myth, the “bad” things released are described as moths and I thought what if these moths were avenging goddesses and in my internet sleuthing came across Theodore D. Sargent’s invaluable Working Paper of Attributes - Goddesses – Moths. I have always thought that moths were underrated.

Downloadable PDF

About Timeless Tales Magazine

Timeless Tales is a digital magazine exclusively publishing retellings of fairy tales and classic myths since 2013. Please be sure follow them on Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest.

Andrea’s other writing published by Timeless Tales - Home is Where the Bone is and The World is Inside

Both Mark’s and Andrea’s flash fiction pieces published in Molotov Cocktail’s Flash Legend Mega Issue

Both Mark’s and Andrea’s flash fiction pieces got into Molotov Cocktail’s Flash Legend Mega Issue beating out stories from the U.S., the U.K., Australia, Canada, Ireland, Italy, and New Zealand. The editors also commented that --

 “We also saw a Molotov first, with two people who apparently live at the same address each scoring a slot in the Top 10 (must be something in the water)."

 Once we saw that scrolling down on the contest winners announcement page, we hoped they were talking about us.

 And they were!

Mark’s story and first published piece below
La Puerta – No. 9 in the top ten (a suitable musical placement)
https://themolotovcocktail.com/vol-10/flash-legend/la-puerta/

Archived Copy

Andrea’s story
The Eyes – No. 4 in the top ten
https://themolotovcocktail.com/vol-10/flash-legend/the-eyes/

Archived Copy

Also, super exciting, both of our stories will be included in Molotov Cocktail’s Fifth Annual Prize Winners Anthology (details on that in late summer).

We’re looking forward to reading the entire issue.

About 
The Molotov Cocktail is a Portland-based electronic literary journal serving as a projectile for incendiary flash fiction of the dark and offbeat variety. We believe flash fiction should ignite on contact and engulf the page.

Check them out on Twitter too.